Father and son found Sunday

Union County Search and Rescue aided by cellphone technology

A father and his teenage son were found by a Union County Search and Rescue team late Sunday afternoon in eastern Union County after getting lost while elk hunting.

“Both hunters were found around 5 p.m. cold but in good condition,” said Sgt. Nick Pallis of the Union County Sheriff’s Office.

The father and son, both Union County residents, were then driven out of the area by SAR, a process that took about six hours.

“It took a long time because the terrain is rugged,” said Pallis, the coordinator of Union County Search and Rescue.

The hunters were reported missing early Sunday. Search and Rescue crew members, after talking with the missing hunters’ family, located their pickup in the area between Moss Springs Campground and Catherine Creek State Park.

“That was very important. We then knew the general area they were in. We knew where to start,” Pallis said.

In the afternoon, the lost hunters responded to SAR text messages asking them to call 911, and the 911 locator system at the Union County dispatch center allowed SAR team members to pinpoint their location in the Bald Mountain area.

“We knew exactly where they were and sent a team right to them,” Pallis said.

The searchers, who were already in the area after finding the hunters’ vehicle, met the hunters at a trail they walked down to.